It’s time to get defensive, New England. It’s time the Patriots put the “D” back in their draft.

Consider:

When last we saw the Patriots, they were losing Super Bowl XLVI because, with the game on the line, their defense stood like dwarfs in the shadows of the New York Giants.

If that script sounded familiar, it should have. It was deja (Super Bowl) XLII.

Yes, Tom Brady and the team’s alleged high-powered offense underperformed in both of those games, but, fact is, on two occasions four years apart on the sport’s biggest stage, the defense was put in a game-winning situation it couldn’t handle.

Now consider:

The Patriots exercised nine picks in the 2011 NFL Draft and six of them – six of the first seven, in fact – were dedicated to the offensive side of the ball.

Living down to his reputation, Dowling quickly got injured and spent virtually his entire season on injured reserve; Carter went wire-to-wire on the practice squad, while Williams, who is more of a special teamer, suited up for just two regular-season games before suiting up for the postseason.

In 2010, the breakdown was far more balanced – the Patriots had 12 picks; six on offense, five on defense, and punter Zoltan Mesko – but their first choice, cornerback Devin McCourty, took a major step back after going to the Pro Bowl as a rookie while one of their second-rounders, linebacker Jermaine Cunningham, took a step completely out of the picture last year.

Two years later, the two major difference makers from that draft are on offense: Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, the best tight-end tandem in the game today.

Go back to 2009 and, lacking a first-round choice, the second round was devoted to defense, but that three-pick sweep yielded safety Patrick Chung, defensive lineman Ron Brace and cornerback Darius Butler.

In baseball terms, that would be a hit, a swing and a miss (to this point), and a strikeout.

This year, the trend must end.

The Patriots must get defensive and they’re in serious need of hits.

While the Patriots head toward the April 26-28 draft holding only six picks, all of them are in the first four rounds; if their game plan isn’t to utilize all six on defense, the majority of them must be used in such a manner.

I’m receptive to a young wide receiver and an offensive lineman (and I felt that way before word broke that guard Logan Mankins underwent anterior cruciate ligament surgery this offseason), but please, no talk of taking the best athlete available.

Page 2 of 2 - Draft to aid a defense that ranked 31st in the league overall and against the pass last season, a defense that once again couldn’t make a stand when it was needed in the postseason.

Draft for needs that haven’t been addressed in free agency where the biggest hit has been – you got it – on offense with the addition of wide receiver Brandon Lloyd.

Not that there was anything wrong with that.

Fact of the matter, though, is that while the additions of lineman Jonathan Fanene, end Trevor Scott, cornerback Marquice Cole and safety Steve Gregory could help, they aren’t nearly enough to cure what ails a defense that far too often has played like patsies at the most inopportune of times in recent years.

I’m not proposing that the Patriots should have made themselves bidders for Mario Williams, not when the Buffalo Bills were willing to dole out upwards of $100 million over six seasons to reel in his services.

But the time has come for the Patriots to draft for need, the time has come for them to draft for the needy.